Molotov Cocktail Thrown at Myanmar Embassy in Indonesia

1 year ago

Activists and protesters take part in a rally in support of Myanmar's Rohingya during one of the deadliest bouts of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades, in Jakarta, Indonesia September 3, 2017. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside - RC12CF63D890

JAKARTA — A molotov cocktail was thrown at the Myanmar embassy in Indonesian capital of Jakarta in the early hours on Sunday, Jakarta police said, causing a small fire.

This comes amid mounting anger in the Southeast Asian nation, home to the world’s biggest Muslim population, over violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

A police officer patrolling a street behind the embassy spotted a fire on the second floor of the building at around 2.35 a.m. Jakarta time and alerted the police officers guarding the front gate of the embassy, according to a statement by Jakarta police on Sunday.

After the fire was extinguished, police found a shattered beer bottle with a wick attached to it, the statement said, adding that the unknown perpetrator is suspected to have driven away from the scene in an MPV car.

Jakarta police is currently investigating the incident, said spokesman Argo Yuwono. Police are yet to find out the motive behind the attack.

A group of activists on Saturday held a protest at the embassy calling Nobel Prize Committee to withdraw Nobel Prize from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, state news agency Antara wrote.

Protests continued on Sunday in Jakarta’s city central, with dozens of people under Islamic groups and activist groups calling Indonesian government to be actively involved in solving the human rights violation against the Rohingya community.

The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.

Aid agencies estimate about 73,000 Rohingya have fled into neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence erupted last week.